AFib is caused by abnormal electrical impulses in the atria, which are the upper chambers of the heart. The result is a rapid and irregular pumping of blood through the atria. These chambers fibrillate, or quiver, rapidly.

Aortic valve replacement is a procedure in which a patient's failing aortic valve is replaced with an artificial heart valve. The aortic valve can be affected by a range of diseases; the valve can either become leaky (aortic insufficiency / regurgitation) or partially blocked (aortic stenosis).

Foot drop is a gait abnormality in which the dropping of the forefoot happens due to weakness, irritation or damage to the common fibular nerve including the sciatic nerve, or paralysis of the muscles in the anterior portion of the lower leg. It is usually a symptom of a greater problem, not a disease in itself.

Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy

Finding a donor heart can be difficult. The heart must be donated by someone who is brain-dead but is still on life support. The donor heart must be matched as closely as possible to your tissue type to reduce the chance that your body will reject it. You are put into a deep sleep with general anesthesia, and a cut is made through the breastbone. Your blood flows through a heart-lung bypass machine while the surgeon works on your heart. This machine does the work of your heart and lungs while they are stopped, and supplies your body with blood and oxygen. Your diseased heart is removed and the donor heart is stitched in place. The heart-lung machine is then disconnected. Blood flows through the transplanted heart, which takes over supplying your body with blood and oxygen. Tubes are inserted to drain air, fluid, and blood out of the chest for several days, and to allow the lungs to fully re-expand.

Chronic pancreatitis is a long-standing inflammation of the pancreas that alters the organ's normal structure and functions. It can present as episodes of acute inflammation in a previously injured pancreas, or as chronic damage with persistent pain or malabsorption.

Initial symptoms may include: Pain or discomfort in the upper tummy (abdomen), especially after eating. Indigestion. (Note: most people who have indigestion do not have stomach cancer.) Feeling sick, and being off food. ... Weight loss and/or loss of appetite. You may pass blood out with your stools (faeces).

Assuming you haven't been diagnosed with Cushing's disease by your doctor, here are steps you can take to help lower high cortisol levels naturally: Switch to a Whole Foods, Anti-inflammatory Diet. Reduce and Manage Stress. Exercise Regularly. Use Adaptogen Herbs and Superfoods. Try Essential Oils to Promote Relaxation.

Scleroderma (skleer-oh-DUR-muh) is a group of rare diseases that involve the hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues — the fibers that provide the framework and support for your body. In some people, scleroderma affects only the skin. But in many people, scleroderma also harms structures beyond the skin — such as blood vessels, internal organs and the digestive tract. Signs and symptoms vary, depending on which structures are affected. Scleroderma affects women more often than men and most commonly occurs between the ages of 30 and 50. While there is no cure for scleroderma, a variety of treatments can ease symptoms and improve quality of life.

Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is a salicylate drug, and is generally used as an analgesic (something that relieves pain without producing anesthesia or loss of consciousness) for minor aches and pains, to reduce fever (an antipyretic), and also as an anti-inflammatory drug.

Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils, two oval-shaped pads of tissue at the back of the throat — one tonsil on each side. Signs and symptoms of tonsillitis include swollen tonsils, sore throat, difficulty swallowing and tender lymph nodes on the sides of the neck. Most cases of tonsillitis are caused by infection with a common virus, but bacterial infections also may cause tonsillitis. Because appropriate treatment for tonsillitis depends on the cause, it's important to get a prompt and accurate diagnosis. Surgery to remove tonsils, once a common procedure to treat tonsillitis, is usually performed only when bacterial tonsillitis occurs frequently, doesn't respond to other treatments or causes serious complications.

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. The name myasthenia gravis, which is Latin and Greek in origin, literally means "grave muscle weakness."

Breast lumps facts Breast lumps can be caused by infections, injuries, non-cancerous growths, and cancer. Breast cancer usually causes no pain in the breast. The symptoms of breast cancer include painless breast lumps, nipple discharge, and inflammation of the skin of the breast. The chances that a particular breast lump could be cancerous depends on many factors, including past medical history, physical examination, as well as genetic and other risk factors. The only way to be certain that a lump is not cancerous is to have a tissue sampling (biopsy). There are several ways to do the biopsy. The treatment of a breast lump depends on its cause.

The deep veins play a significant role in propelling blood toward the heart. The one-way valves in deep veins prevent blood from flowing backward, and the muscles surrounding the deep veins compress them, helping force the blood toward the heart, just as squeezing a toothpaste tube ejects toothpaste.

MRI Exam Procedure

Obstetrics is the field of medicine which encompasses the care of a woman during pregnancy and childbirth. In that way it is very unique, as when assessing these patients, your actually also assessing another the child.

Although the Apgar score was developed in 1952 by an anesthesiologist named Virginia Apgar, you also might hear it referred to as an acronym for: Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration. The Apgar test is usually given to a baby twice: once at 1 minute after birth, and again at 5 minutes after birth.

Nephritis and Nephrotic Syndrome

Pompe disease is a rare multisystem genetic disorder that is characterized by absence or deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-glucosidase (GAA). This enzyme is required to breakdown (metabolize) the complex carbohydrate glycogen and convert it into the simple sugar glucose.

An animated description of the use of a cannulated Herbert screw for surgical treatment of scaphoid fractures.